13
May
2015
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00:00 AM
Europe/Amsterdam

Systems biology specialist Jason Shoemaker joins Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering

Jason Shoemaker PITTSBURGH (May 13, 2015) … The Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering has tapped systems biology and virus researcher Jason E. Shoemaker as a new assistant professor. Dr. Shoemaker will join the Swanson School in fall 2015.

"Part of Jason's research experience was under one of the pioneers of systems biology, Dr. Hiroaki Kitano, and so we are indeed fortunate to recruit him to Pitt," noted Dr. Steve Little, associate professor, CNG Faculty Fellow and department chair. "Systems biology and computational modeling are advancing our understanding of complex environments, especially those related to disease and drug delivery, and so Jason brings a dynamic perspective to our department's research in those areas."

"I am incredibly excited to join the Swanson School of Engineering," Dr. Shoemaker said. "Pitt's tradition of being a leader in medicine makes it the perfect environment to reach across disciplines and explore how engineering tools can be applied to better understand the origins of disease. My lab will develop and apply mathematical approaches to determine drivers of disease and to design new treatments." 

Dr. Shoemaker earned his bachelor of science in chemical engineering from the University of Florida, and PhD in chemical engineering from the University of California - Santa Barbara. He currently is a project assistant professor and computations group team leader at the University of Tokyo, where he is head of the systems biology research unit within the Kawaoka virology unit. Prior to the University of Tokyo he was a research associate with the Japan Science and Technology's ERATO Infection-Induced Host Responses Project, and visiting researcher at the Systems Biology Institute under the direction of Dr. Kitano. He has published two patents in Japan and published several journal articles and book chapters. He is a native of West Palm Beach, Florida.

About the Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
The Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering serves undergraduate and graduate engineering students, the University and our industry, through education, research, and participation in professional organizations and regional/national initiatives. Our commitment to the future of the chemical process industry drives the development of educational and research programs. The Department has a tradition of excellence in education and research, evidenced by recent national awards including numerous NSF CAREER Awards, a Beckman Young Investigator Award, an NIH Director's New Innovator Award, and the DOE Hydrogen Program R&D Award, among others. Active areas of research in the Department include Biological and Biomedical Systems; Energy and Sustainability; and Materials Modeling and Design. The faculty has a record of success in obtaining research funding such that the Department ranks within the top 25 U.S. ChE departments for Federal R&D spending in recent years with annual research expenditures exceeding $7 million. The vibrant research culture within the Department includes active collaboration with the adjacent University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the Center for Simulation and Modeling, the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, the Petersen Institute of NanoScience and Engineering and the U.S. DOE-affiliated Institute for Advanced Energy Solutions.

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Author: Paul Kovach

Contact: Paul Kovach